


Champion

by Tea_chan



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Abuse, Aged-Up Character(s), Anime is funky, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Game based, Lore friendly headcanon, Mainly Canon, Manipulation, Misconduct, Rape, Rose isn't very nice when you're not doing things he wants you to do, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content, Slight story change, alternative reality, underage mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-04-25 17:26:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22322866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tea_chan/pseuds/Tea_chan
Summary: Rose has a new champion to groomAn alternative story line fic. The darkest day couldn't happen after Leon lost and Rose isn't happy he has to rethink everything
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> tw for rape

The cheering in her ears was deafening. They got louder as the battle went on and as soon it was over, they erupted into screaming applause. They almost seemed as surprised as herself that she beat Leon. 

Gloria was too focused on Leon to notice the announcer's voice declaring his defeat. He looked disappointed for a second, hiding behind his hat before that smile appeared pulling the girl closer to him in a side hug and putting it on her own head. She was laughing and smiling as he spoke to the crowd, lifting her hand up with his, declaring the new champion of the region. 

She could see Hop in the crowds, his expression, a mix of pride and envy but gave a wave as soon as she noticed him, yelling something she couldn't even lip read but the smile said it all. She'd made him proud. 

Rose had come to the field, hardly audible even with the microphone. He'd given the new champion a trophy and a medal that he hung around her neck. 

Gloria's mum had the video on repeat regularly and today was no different. She'd walk into the living room and hear the whole thing over again. 

"can you please at least turn it down?" the young women sighed, sitting next to her on the sofa, sipping her warm drink.  
"I can't help it. I'm just so proud of you," she smiled. "you were never that interested in Pokemon and look at you now, the champion."  
"it was 3 years ago. Jinx it, and I might lose this year."  
"don't say such a thing. You're practically almost beating Leon's record at this rate," she laughed, looking at the man on the screen. "I think he was rather surprised he was beat by an 18 year old.  
"Hop's not that much older then me. Don't act like it but if I didn't win, he probably would" she didn't really answer her, just tapped her daughter's knee as she got up and went to the kitchen. 

Gloria sat back, turning down the audio herself before turning over altogether. It was late, and she wanted some quiet TV before going to bed. Her phone buzzed on the side next to her, a message from Hop but when she opened it, it was just a drunken singing video of him and his brother from some bar in the town. Gloria grimaced at the loud noise, turning down the volume but it didn't seem to do much justice. A message came through followed by more. 'come' 'there's beer'. Her reply was as blunt as his. 'no' 

She was hoping he'd given up by that point, but the next video that came through was Leon chugging a whole pitcher standing on the table as people sang some kind of drinking song and clapping to the tune of the song. 'We like to drink with Leon because he is our mate! And when we drink with Leon, he finishes in 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!' People cheered as he finished in time, jumping down. 

"Leon really has let his reputation go, hasn't he," her mum said over her shoulder, looking down at the video. It made her smile. "still wears the Cape all the time, though."  
"well, you can't blame him. He never said he'd give up battles and retraining to take you on again" she squeezed her shoulder. "you should go and join them."  
"I can't, I have to be up early."  
"you're nothing like me when I tried the gym challenge. I was out every night."  
"and is that why you pulled a fire type against a water type?"  
"don't be so cheeky. Kabu trains against water types"  
"it was a magikarp. You lost to a magikarp" she lightly nudged her shoulder with a smile and sat down again. 

"are you sure you going to be alright tomorrow on your own?" she asked after some silence.  
"so going out and getting drunk is the advice you give me but now you want to come with me tomorrow? I'll be fine. I've been there already. Chairman Rose just wants to give me some advice on being the champion for the gym challenge next month," she said, hiding behind her cup. 

She didn't fight anymore then that, just gave her a reassuring smile. "I guess. Your Pokemon will keep you safe too. Are you staying over?"  
She gave her a nod and got up, putting the mug in the kitchen and headed to her bedroom. "I'll be fine. Night" 

\-----

The morning was chilly, not even a coat made of wooloo's wool would stop the wind getting through. Winter was at its thickest. Gloria kept her coat close to herself as she walked down to the station, a gentle sound of pokemon waking up in the early hours sun. The town was quiet considering it being Sunday morning. The stations being even quieter until she noticed two brothers unconscious on the bench. 

Hop was lying across the bench, and Leon was at his feet, almost off the bench. A fast-food wrapper was stuck to his face. She stood watching them, almost in disbelief that they could get that drunk and not even be able to find their way up the hill home. 

The loud intercom voice woke them up with a start, rubbing their faces as Hop pushed his brother away.   
"well, you both certainly look like you had fun."  
"shh shh shh" Hop hissed, holding his head. "the world's spinning. What time is it?"  
"6 in the morning. What was the occasion that one bench between you both was a better idea then making it up the hill?"  
"then we've only been asleep for 2 hours," Leon said, standing. 

Gloria moved Hop aside to sit. "it was your uncle's birthday right? Did you drink for him or something?"  
"to be honest I don't even remember seeing him" Hop whispered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.  
"it sort of turned into me drinking with fans," Leon admitted, "and then some recognised Hop so he joined"  
"ahh, so both your egos got boosted. Got it" She brought her flask out from her bag, going to take a sip before Hop took it off her to sip it himself. 

"are you on your way to Wyndon for that league introduction thing" Leon sat on the other side of the two, patting down his hair as she nodded. "Yeah, Chairman Rose made me do one for the first time too. It's easy, just to don't say say something that will get you into trouble"  
"like what exactly?" She asked, looking up at him.   
"well you're representing the league so don't go and enjoy the spotlight too much. Don't go wild. Don't reveal macro secrets. Don't destroy ancient memorials" She grimaced as he spoke. She almost forgetting about Bede. "Oh god he's going to want to fight me again," Leon laughed and patted her shoulder. "you're the champion, everyone is going to want to fight you, including Hop again since he's redoing the gym challenger."  
"I find it really fucking annoying that they change the badges every time so I can't use the same ones. I have a full badge already. I don't need to- I need to fight fucking Bede again!" Hop exclaimed, handing Gloria her flask back.

"You'll do fine. You almost made it a whole month without challenging me so maybe you learnt something this time around that I'm too strong and I'll whoop your ass" She had a shit eating grin on her face that only seemed to fuel him as reached into his bag for his pokeballs but his brother caught his wrist. "Don't" 

There was an announcement again as the train approached the platform. Glroia stood up and so did they. "... So I guess you're coming with me?"  
"I need to talk to Rose anyway," Leon said. "and Hop is running away from his job."  
"I'm on holiday. Sonia gave me a holiday."  
" 3 months is a long holiday."  
"... Not much is happening anyway and when I win this thing I'll have to quit" that made her tsk with the same grin appearing again. "if" 

Before his brother could retaliate, Leon ushered the two both onto the train, taking a table seat but sat she sat the other side of him. The rest of the journey was silent. Some conversations broke out between the three but it seemed they were much too hungover to keep it going. Soon enough, the train pulled into the city and the last destination. 

Hop stretched as he stepped out, his back cracking slightly. “You heading straight there, Gloria?”  
“I was,” She answered him bluntly, heading towards the monorail. “You won’t be allowed in if you follow anyway.”  
“Alright, come find me when you’re both done” He waved off, moving to leave quickly leaving her with Leon.  
“...You wanted to talk to Rose, right?” Leon scratched his head., turning to answer her. “Yeah but now I’m thinking it can wait. It’s only to do with next month anyway and I wouldn’t want to keep him from talking to you. He seems really excited about a new champion. I’m trying not to be offended.”  
“It was a long time, Leon. I think everyone is excited.”  
He gave a yawn, putting his hat back on. “I’m going to catch up with Hop before I lose sight of him. Best of luck with Rose,” He said, giving her a wave as he quickly went after his brother. She watched him go before taking the monorail to the Rose Tower. 

\--

The building was intimidating. It always towered all the other buildings and could be seen from almost anywhere with a clear enough landscape. The elevator ride up didn't make her feel any better, especially after every level a staff member would just mention how high she was and how much of a drop it is. 

Gloria was almost on her knees as she reached the top and quickly scurried out, surprising both Rose and his snobby assistant. "Champion. You're finally here. And in one piece I see," she said, looking down at her. -

"Gloria, it's good to see you again" Rose smiled, standing from his desk. "how have you been?"  
"I was great 5 minutes," she answered, moving away from the lift doors. Rose let out a small laugh. "Yes, the journey up can be quite daunting sometimes. Especially when you have a cold. Come, sit. Oleana, leave us" he took a seat back down as his assistant nodded and left through the lift not before giving Gloria a dirty look as she passed. She paid no attention and sat opposite. 

"she's going to sabotage the lift one day when I'm in it" Gloria got comfy on the chair. It was hard and made her fidget.  
"I'd hope not. That would be hard to clean up" Rose chuckled, leaning back making his chair squeak. "how did your last tournament go? I saw you gave Raihan quite a beating."  
"all his determination to beat Leon has spread onto beating me. Even sparing and he's yet to even make me panic"  
"that's good," he smiled. "this year should bring in a bigger audience."  
"I don't know. Some people are disappointed Leon lost. I've seen it a couple of times on social media that they think this whole thing is botched. You know, Leon losing to an 18 year old first time contestant and all."  
"I wasn't much older than you when I took second place and it wasn't even Leon at the time. Everyone believed him when he won, why wouldn't they believe you?"  
She shrugged, slouching down slightly in the chair. "I just… I feel like they don't like me as much as they liked Leon," she said quietly. A gentle smile came onto Rose's face and he stood. 

"people can be cruel but with time your popularity will grow as long as you stay in the people's good books" he turned away from his desk to look out the window overlooking the city, his arms crossed behind his back. "you have a reputation to keep. You're representing the League and the Gym challenge now. The people of Galar look up to you, and for the most part, they're excited for what happens now" he turned back, the smile still there. "don't get distracted by the people that don't believe you. Social media is a strong thing. Just focus on keeping your fans happy." 

It wasn't really the encouragement she wanted or she was expecting, but it did help. Gloria sat up straighter, unbuttoning her coat and hung it against the chair.  
"what was it like for you to have all that spotlight?" she asked him. He gave a soft chuckle. "Amazing. I liked making people happy. So much I started this business and I gave them power. Even sponsoring the Gym Challenge. Being the Champion wasn't for me but I enjoy the spotlight just as much" 

"was there anything else you wanted to speak to me about, sir?" she smiled. "because I was wondering-"  
"one piece of advice I would give is always be on the press side. Then you can't go wrong. People read the newspaper and they share the same views most of the time,"  
Gloria frowned. It seemed out of place in the conversation. It almost seemed like a warning. Macro Cosmo owned the newspapers. They practically owned everything. She shifted uncomfortably "understood, sir." 

He turned back to the window briefly. The sun was already setting, a soft pink light seeped into the room. She'd been watching the sun blockers gently come down all afternoon protecting the building from its gaze and now it was almost gone, the whole city was in view.  
"Gloria, join me for a second," he smiled. 

She got up, untangling herself from her bag and leaving it on the chair to join him at the window. The view was amazing. She couldn't help but be amazed and stand in awe. She was so distracted with the view she didn't notice the gentle hand that placed on her shoulder. "it's astonishing, isn't it? You've probably seen cities at night but nothing like from this height. I helped build all of this. And it puts me at ease to see the accomplishments I've achieved in my time. One day you'll also feel like this. Even if it doesn't work out. You'll still be proud of what you've done." 

She took in his words, looking around the city. The front of the stadium was lit up, shining on the rose shaped building. She couldn't see people but you had no doubt that they were having fun in the many restaurants and pubs. And in one of them must have been Hop and Leon. 

She took her time looking around, Rose standing besides her with the usual smile. He was watching, but she didn't pay attention. Not until the gentle on her shoulder began to shift up her skirt. 

Famous person or not, she wasn't just going to ignore it. Her hand span round, aiming a slap at him but his other hand came and clamped over her mouth, turning her back to the window and pressed her against it. She tried to scream out but no noises could escape her. His knee was between her legs, making them spread and his free hand was running across the new exposed skin. 

Tears ran down her eyes. Just a moment ago she felt so safe and now she felt so scared. Gloria struggled in his grip, thrashing as his fingers rubbed between her legs. Her head shook from side to side, silently begging him. His head came to meet her ear, gently breathing into her ear before nibbling the end of it and at the same time a finger pushed inside of her. 

She screamed underneath his hand. But every time his hand came close enough for her to bite it, it would back off just a bit. It felt like he'd done this before. Every move she made he was ahead of her. The scratches she left down his arm didn't even bother him. 

His fingers were removed but she knew what came next. Gloria shut her eyes and tensed her whole body as something much thicker pressed in. With a simple lift, he had pushed himself and positioned herself to press against him. This wasn't her first time. Frankly, it wasn't her second but it had still been a while. She whimpered underneath his hand as he pulled back just to push back in and continue. 

Her eyes were cloudy as she opened them, looking back into the city. His hand turned to get a better grip, pushing her closer to the glass as his pace quickened. He kissed her neck and leaving marks. She caught a glimpse of his smile in her reflection. It was the same one. 

His movements were getting sloppy as he neared, his breath heavy. He pulled out suddenly and something warm and sticky hit the back of her legs. Her eyes shut again, body shuddering. He let out a groan as he calmed down from his high but let out a soft chuckle, kissing her neck. “I think I prefer you over Leon” Her eyes widened. Had he used Leon like this too? She tried to move her head away, but he kept it close. “Thanks for coming to see me, Gloria. But you’d better go and clean yourself before someone sees you, hmm?” 

Slowly, he released his hands. She didn't move for a moment, too afraid. She quickly darted to her bag, fumbling for her pokeballs but he chuckled. “I’m not challenging you, Gloria. If you use your pokemon against me, that would just be assault. How would that look to everyone else, hmm?” he grinned. There was a bing on the elevator, someone had called it. The doors were shutting. “Run along”  
She didn't want to be with him any longer. She grabbed her bag and coat quickly, darting to the elevator. She didn’t look at him as she made her way down. 

\-------

Her body was almost running on autopilot, taking her to the hotel as her mind wandered and replayed what just happened, what she could have done differently. She was standing outside the hotel for the last 5 minutes. A roar from a Corviknigh alerted yher, and you looked up at the hotel. But his face flashed through her mind. This was a hotel he founded. This was his city. She gulped. She didn't want to be in this city any longer. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him. SHE looked back at the station and decided she would go home


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tw rape and mention of underage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry for the long wait! My enthusiasm for this fic has suddenly returned but I didn't write down the original plot and had to quickly think of one. Chapter might seem a little rushed and there might be some grammar and spelling mistakes but I wanted to post this before my enthusiasm left me once more. 
> 
> I've been thinking about converting this to a Gloria fic instead as well since I am out of practise with xreader but let me know what you think! 
> 
> Quick disclaimer--  
I wrote this before finding our cinderace is 6ft tall or so

The train whistle startled her awake. Gloria looked around the carriage and rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the light, quickly moving off the train. It was early morning. She took a look around the familiar station. No shops but a small coffee stand were open on the platform. The coffee was weak but she nevertheless drank the cup down. She could do this.

A gentle breeze brushed her hair, the cold almost stinging. She wrapped her coat closer to herself. She didn't want to go home yet. She'd have to talk to her mum. She took a seat on a bunch instead and looked through her phone. 

25 missed calls from Hop and 5 from Leon. 

Gloria blinked, surprised. Only two messages from Hop. 'hey Gloria, are you done with Rose yet? Me and Leon were going to go get something to eat and were wondering if you wanted to come'  
'Gloria?'

She hovered over the keyboard for a while, thinking of an answer. 'Hey, sorry I was out'. The reply was immediate.

'where are you?'

She stared at it for a while before putting it away and getting up, heading into town. A cafe would be her next meal. 

The second coffee was stronger and came with A sandwich but she hardly touched it. Her mind was racing. Not even 5 minutes had passed where she was left with her own thoughts and Ross flashed through them. She could smell him. She felt him. Those hands had never left. 

She wrapped her coat around her tighter, trying to distract herself. There was a little rustle coming from her bag. One of the balls threatened to open. She gently put her hand on it. "hey, shh, you can't come out. It's okay" Gloria whispered but as she went to take her hand off the ball opened and her Cinderace was at her side, looking at her worriedly. He had her arm between his paws.  
"hey hey, no-"  
He made a noise and thumped his leg.  
"no-"  
Another thump and she sighed, petting his head as he nuzzled up to his trainer, trying to climb up onto her lap but he suddenly stopped and sniffed. His ears went back as a slight growl left him and then looked up a little sadly. She looked down at him and pulled him closer. "...you can smell him, can't you?" 

He seemed happy to sit on her lap but his gaze was on her food instead. He was moved to the seat beside her where he gained the task to look after her coat. He quietened down before his ears straightened and he looked up to the door, a slight growl but made a sound of excitement instead. She looked up to see Hop running towards her.  
"where have you been?!"  
Shewere a little taken back. "i-what?"  
"I called the hotel, they said you never checked in"  
"oh… " Gloria picked up Cinderace again before he could leap over to see Leon. "I was homesick" 

A frown was on Hop's face making her worried if he'd believe her but it softened as he sat down. "Why are you here so early?"  
"Me and Hop came back a little early to beat the rush. We were just walking home and he saw you in here" Leon answered, leaning over to pet the pokemon. Gloria flinched slightly. Leon took his hand back, sitting down instead. 

Hop was staring at her. She looked at him back but the boy didn't back down.  
"Hop, you're making me uncomfortable"  
"Sorry. What's that mark on your neck? Did you burn yourself?"  
Her hand went to her neck, going to see what he was talking about but she stopped, her hand covered it as her mind replayed memories. "y-yeah I did"  
"No, that's a hickey" her blood ran cold.  
"she hooked up and shagged someone instead"  
"Jeez, Hop" Leon tsked as Gloria shifted uncomfortably "she's allowed to do what she wants"  
"N-No, I" she tried to protest but Hop laughed. "I'm just playing around. Do whatever you want. Who was it? Was it Raihan?" She opened your mouth to reply but Leon spoke first.  
"Why would it be Raihan?"  
"she's got a crush on him. Probably"  
"it wasn't Raihan. It wasn't anybody" she replied angrily.  
"It's not like you can talk, Hop. You chat anything up that looks cute. Like the guy from the bar yesterday"  
"Guys I really don't want to talk about this" Gloria said, finishing the last of her drink, ready to go if they tried to continue but Hop smirked and backed down. 

Gloria sat back down and rubbed the bridge of her nose. A migraine was looming. Her plan was to go to the offerities and report the 'incident' but with them here anxiety took over. If she tried to leave Hop would just either follow her or ask where she was going. If she told him he would just keep asking why until he'd connect that something happened and try to help but she just didn't want that. Cinderace put a gentle paw on her arm, looking up at her worried. She gave his head a ruffle. 

"So what are you going to do now? Are you going to train? Want to spare?" Hop asked, making her sigh. "Have you had coffee already today?" the boy shrugged "is that a yes?"  
"it's a no. I want to go home and sleep" she rubbed the bridge of her nose harder.  
"but haven't you just got up?"  
"more sleep then" 

"Hop, I'll fight you. Leave her alone" Leon piped in, sitting back on his seat.  
"if I wanted to fight you, I would ask"  
"oh so you're afraid to fight me?"  
"I'm not afraid, I'm-"  
"I've had enough" she stood up quickly, putting her coat back on and scooping Cinderace up the best she could. 

"Gloria, what about your buttie-"  
"it's yours now" she called back to Hop as she left quickly. 

\------

She didnt't went to go home straight away. Shed texted her mum that sheb was alive and marked it down as progress for the day. She was out food shopping. 

Gliria turned the key in the lock and stepped inside, putting her bag down and looked around. She was truly alone. No pokemon came running up to greet her. They were either with her mum or asleep. Cinderace had agreed to go back to his ball but only with bribery. She thought about letting him out for a second 

Gloria looked at herself in the mirror. For a moment she was unable to stop looking. She didn't recognise it as her own face. The longer she looked, the longer her mind started to remember it all. Why didn't she fight back? Why didn't she immediately call the police when he let go. Why didn't she ask for help from anyone downstairs. Why didn't she scream. 

Tears ran down her face before she could pull herself away and choked back a sob. Make yourself a tea and decide on a plan she told herslrf but she found she couldn't move, leaning her head on the door frame. 

The door behind her opened quickly and she scampered herslf into a standing position. "Oh hey mum-" she said as she turned but froze up immediately and backed away. 

Rose dived towards her, grabbing her cheeks with one hand and pushed Gloria against the wall, the other at her throat tightening until she couldn't release any more sounds. Tears pricked her eyes. 

"Don't scream and I'll let you breath" 

He removed the hand from her chin but kept the one at her throat, loosening it slightly. 

"Help!-" 

The air was pushed out of her as he tightened his grip and punched her in the stomach. She choked against his hand. He didn’t remove it until a black started to creep up her eyes and she gasped, coming back so suddenly from almost fainting. Herlegs were weak, leaning against him just to stand as he kept her pinned against the wall. Her bag behind her wiggled a little. 

“W-what do you want” she choked out quietly, her tongue heavy in your mouth. 

“I think we need to talk.”

“Like hell we don’t” she tried to say bravely, trying to push him away. “We don’t?” he smirked, easily pushing her back against the wall. “You weren’t at your hotel last night. I wanted to talk to you” he grabbed your chin, turning it to look at him. H3rblood ran cold at the thought. "About our little meeting"  
"Please leave" she sobbed  
"Leon interrupted me before I could really discuss things with you-"  
"Discuss what things?! Like what you just did to me?!"  
"In a way, yes. You're not going to tell anyone about that"  
"Go fuck yourself!-"  
He quickly put his hand over her mouth. "Don't raise your voice at me"

She wiggled, managing to get some room "stay away from me! I'll fucking tell everyone what you did!"

He sighed "I didn't want to have to use this so early" he got out his rotom, beginning to play a video. At first her eyebrows knitted together. It sounded like amateur porno. Up until she saw Hop's hair. 

Gloria moved quickly, going to grab the rotom but he held it from her reach. "How did you get that?!"  
He didn't answer. "The date on this video was a good couple of years ago. You and Hop would have still been in school. But that girl hes with" he turned to look at her "that's you isn't it?"  
"That's none of your business!"  
"What were you two doing filming such a thing underage? At 15 no less"  
"We were drunk!" She yelled "and I was only a few months off 16"  
The grin grew on his face. "Hop was over the legal age" 

It wasn't like that. It wasn't usual for a couple that age so close. They weren't adults.  
"I gave consent! There's a big bloody difference between that video and what you did to me!"  
He ignored her, keeping the video playing. "You're going to do everything I say and work with me. If you refuse I'll post this video everywhere and have Hop arrested. You'll ruin his life. His and his brother's reputation, just when Leon took over sorting out the leagues. Everyone will see you as a whore and do you think they'll believe you when you put out a claim that the chairman raped you?" He sneered. 

Tears were running down her face. It was blackmail but it was working. Hop had tried so hard. He didn't deserve her ruining it.  
“Do we have an understanding?”

“I already work for you. I don’t see how much you can take over. Do you just want me to be your little play toy or something” she mumbled, sinking under him.  
“There’s a lot more you could do for Macro Cosmos as the champion. I’m going to be your coach. I'll organise your battles and spars, photoshoots and autograph etc. Maybe then the media will like you more when you put yourself out in other ways rather than being on your back”  
She gulped a little. “If you wanted me to do that you could have just asked me nicely instead of-” His hand came across her face, leaving a red mark. “Let’s be honest here, you’re lazy. I don’t know how you ended up winning, I don’t care if it was rigged. But you don’t seem to care about being the champion, representing Galar and it’s pissing me off. I made this country and I’m not going to let you ruin it” his hand was around her neck again, lifting her up slightly. Her hands clawed at his. “Leon cared. He did everything I asked him. He was a good champion and you knocked him off. So now it’s your responsibility. I’m tired of kids ruining everyone for me. Do we have an agreement?” He pushed her back up against the wall, knocking over objects on the nearby chest of drawers. “And what I did to you was frankly because you deserved it. I don't know why but it was something I've wanted to do for a while. You can’t keep acting like whore and not expect to get this treatment” 

Gloria choked, pushing back from him until she managed to whimper a small yes and he let go. His attention caught a picture that had fallen and it picked it up as she caught her breath. It was a picture of her with a tall man pulling her close, arm over her shoulder smiling.  
“Your boyfriend?”  
She narrowed her eyes at him. “My brother”  
“Brother? I didn’t see him in the database” he smiled, turning his gaze to look at her. A shiver ran down her spin. “He’s on a small holiday away from Galar. Stay away from him”  
“You’re in no position to be giving me orders but I’ll have to look him up. It’s unusual to have someone that’s off the radar. I trust he was born in Galar?” She looked up at him with glare, sealing lips. He got the idea.  
“Fine. If your mouth has stopped being useful I think I’d prefer you choking”

Before she had time to register what he meant he was pushing her to her knees, unbuckling himself and holding her mouth open, sliding himself in to the back. She started choking immediately but he had already started to move, pushing her head to stay straight against the wall. Tears ran down her eyes as shelooked up at him, pleading. He rolled his eyes. “Breath throw your nose, Champion” 

As much as she didn’t want to take it, she was going to pass out if she didn’t take the advice. Her jaw hurt from the force entry and she choked with every thrust until he came in her mouth, pulling out. Her hands went to her mouth, feeling as if she were going to be sick, wanting to spit it out but his hand was in her hair, seeming to wait for her decision Spit up over herself or swallow. She choose the later whimpering. “Good girl” he chuckled, putting himself away. “Very clean” 

Gloria slapped his hand away and turned her head, making him chuckle. “I’ll be in touch. Remember what I said, Gloria. You do not want to challenge me. I can make you disappear” He said, walking away toward the back door, gesturing with his hand as he left. 

Not long after the front door opened and her mother came in, carrying shopping bags with the help of some pokemon. Gloria scrambled to her feet, wiping her mouth.  
“Oh Gloria, could you help me with these- did you try and release a pokemon in here?” she asked, looking down at the mess on the floor. “Oh no, sorry I...I just tripped and caught it” the lie slipped off her tongue and she hated it. Shewanted to tell her everything that just happened, tell her to get away. Tears pricked at her eyes again.  
“Oh Gloria, what's the matter?” she put her shopping down as was by her side, pokemon following. She quickly brought her into a hug that she hugged back in. “I-I’m just tired”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I'm taking a lot of Galar law from the UK itself. Here our age of consent is actually 16 and living in the UK myself and I can tell you during school not a lot followed this but would still be together with people around their age give or take a year a really.


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I promised myself I'd sit and edit this chapter after I was done but it didn't happen and I just corrected what I knew was wrong. 
> 
> I also decided to go with using Gloria instead since it was easier for me to write. Using reader unfortunately became very immersion breaking for me. I'll be editing it out on past chapters too. Anyway, please enjoy! It's been really nice to read all your nice comments and It's filling me with enthusiasm. This might be the first time I've posted a chapter for a fic with the next one already started. 
> 
> No tw for this chapter!

It had been almost over a week since she had last seen Rose. A long and anxious week. Everytime her phone buzzed she was afraid to look but too scared not to. The only messages she had gotten were from Hop, keeping up with the conversation or asking for battles or advice. 

She looked out her window at some of her wondering pokemon. Her Venusaur was out looking at the flowers and sun bathing peacefully. Every now and again her Hydreigon would try and sit on top of him, either to annoy him or to play. She sat back and smiled. She only really used to have them out during the day but now it was just a safety precaution. No one was going to bother her with a Hydreigon flying around. They didn't need to know he's mainly friendly. 

She got up and cautiously moved around a much too big of a pokemon to sit in her room to sit on her bed. The silvally opened one eye to look at her, made a noise and shut its eye again. 

For the last couple of days it had insisted to be in the same room as Gloria. She'd wonder if Cinderace had had a chat with them to make them all so suddenly protective over her or if they were picking up on her emotions. Three however were still missing including the Cinderace himself. 

Her phone pinged almost as soon as she shut it off and with a grumble she opened it up to look. An unread email was waiting in her folder from Oleana. She stared at it for what seemed like forever, running scenarios on her head about what could be inside. Was Oleana going to blackmail her now? She was going to constantly email her work?

Out of the garden duo, Oleana was the definitely now the one she could stand to talk to but nevertheless opened the email cautiously. There was a timetable inside with a meeting date. The whole league board was going to be there. She could only presume this was the email about the galar gym challenge. There was little under a week left. There was also an invite to a group chat that she decided not to check. Every ping her phone gave her enough anxiety anyway. Speaking of. A message from Leon. 

Did you get the email?

About the meeting? Yeah. And the group chat

Don't join that yet. It's just a mess of selfies and memes. I don't think this is what Oleana wanted. She left. 

She laughed a bit, thinking again about joining the chat, just to share your own pictures and take your place as the champion and champion of memes. 

I'll think about it 

The meeting was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Which meant she'd either need to get the train now and stay the night or wake up early enough to get the first train of the day to be able to make it from Postwick to Wyndon. She got up, packing a quick bag. 

Gloria looked at Silvally covering half her room, having to climb to get over him. His head under her bed just to fit in. "Null. We've got to go. Please get in your ball" she sighed as she held it out. It gave out a noise but didn't fight, too sleepy. 

Gathering the rest of her pokemon in the garden, she headed to the kitchen. Her mum was cooking something and both Cinderace and her blue Slyveon were watching her with hope. "Guys, ball, we need to catch a train" 

All three of them turned round, Sylveon making a sweet noise as it was taken by the light but Cinderace refused. She saw it coming. He didn't want to stay in his ball, that meant he wouldn't be able to protect her- or so she gathered. The pokemon had become rather protective over her, staying near her, sleeping next to her. And it helps. 

"Ace, where's Gardevoir? Could you ask them to return to their ball?" She gave the pokemon a ball and watched the excitement raise in its face. It ran off quickly. 

"Leaving without a piece of this pie?" 

She turned to look at her mother. "If it's ready to take then I'll have some. I have to get to Wyndon"

"Oh honey, I know I've said this before and as much as I hate it but would it be easier to move?" 

"Yeah but getting an apartment in Wyndon will be fun"

"Well you could always just take a taxi-"

"No" she interrupted quickly, making her mother laugh and turn, handing her daughter seven pieces of pie in a container. "Have a safe journey" 

She nodded and quickly pecked her mothers cheeks as Cinderace came running back, handing her the ball. "I'll be back soon" 

\---- 

Wydons air was busy today. More people were around and few gathered around the stadium making her curious. Upon further investigation she found a match was being held. A spar between two gym leaders. She didn't even realise it was going on. Did Rose have a point? Leon used to always be around for these battles. He knew who was playing and even the team. But the new champion was nowhere to be found for this one. 

She tried to not let it bother as she made her way to her hotel, Cinderace following on behind. When she was younger walking with Leon was almost impossible. People would stop and talk to him and take pictures with him. Sure, Gloria got a couple but even as she walked she'd only got a few waves and hellos.

She quickly moved through the city, getting to the hotel and heading to bed, wrapped up in a pile of duvets. She didn't want to think about it anymore. Her day tomorrow was going to be stressful enough. She didn't know whether Rose was going to be in that room with them. And if he was, she couldn't let it bother her. 

\---- 

The meeting room was being held on the ground floor and she preyed slightly to herself. Many helpful staff were able to point her to the direction of the meeting. She gave a knock before entering. 

"Gloria, thanks for coming" her body shivered as she heard Rose's voice. "Take a seat. We were just about to start" 

She looked around the room at the gym leaders, giving her a wave. At least some of them. Opal and Piers both had their new leaders in training, and stood behind them. Bede stuck up his nose as he looked at Gloria, a small smirk. She wasn't sure what to think about it but Marnie had a look in her eye that seemed she was excited to see her. Of course, her face didn't move or show any emotion. 

Leon gestures to the empty seat next to him, patting her shoulder. "You alright?"   
"Yeah, just a little tired"   
"Train? You need to find an alternative-"  
"It's fine"  
Leon looked over her with a worried expression.   
"Gloria, you slept right?" 

She didn't really give him an answer, only getting a notebook out.   
"Alright, let's get on with this. Bases first, welcome Gloria to her first meeting and her first Galar Gym challenge as Champion. We'll go through what that means in a minute" Rose began. "Bede will be taking over as the fairy gym leader this year I've heard?"   
"Yes, chairman Rose. I've been training with miss Opal for years now and she believes I am ready" the boy answered with a small bow. "That and I want to get ready for retirement finally," the old woman remarked. "I bought a house in Alola last year and it's still waiting but not everyone can retire at a young age"   
"Hey" a gruff voice answered. Piers sitting up straight. "I'm not retiring. I'm focusing on my gigs instead. So I'm…" he paused for a moment, trying to find the word.   
"Quitting?" The dragon gym leader spoke up with a grin. Piers narrowed his eyes "No. moving on" 

"Bicker later. I take that as Marnie is going to sit out this one this year?" Rose carried on. The girl nodded. "I need to train to be my best. I want to take the champion down"   
"Don't we all" Raihan piped up again with a laugh.   
"What have I done to you people?" Gloria laughed herself. "I'm actually a very nice person" 

"Most of the contendant have signed up by now, including Leon's brother again. They'll have until 11pm to sign up tonight. Opening ceremony next Friday. Leon will be opening it as he's taking over from me for league based inquiries. The gym leaders for the qualifying matches will be picked at a later date. Ranked by how many trainers the leader won against. And of course an opportunity to knock out our new champion. If she wants, she can also take part in a battle in the opening ceremony if we have any volunteers. New badges will be delivered to your gyms within this week" Rose read of a sheet of paper. "If there's no questions I'll pass on to-"

Gloria slowly raised her hand "sorry...I was just wondering about the pokemon rules. Specifically if this means I can't bring Silvally?" Rose sat back, giving a look but his smile had not fallen. "Of course. We've researched this since your Silvally was a gift from Marco. We can confirm that there are multiple Silvally and although it's a rare pokemon, you are not the only one with one"  
She gave a nod and looked back down to the table. 

"I'll pass on to Leon"

The purple haired man stood with a small on his face. "As Rose said I'll be taking over the league duties and I actually have a new tournament planned for Galar. I'll be inviting trainers, old and new from all around to battle for the ultimate champion title-"   
"Leon. We already have a tournament like this. It's the World Coronation Series" Rose said, sitting up straight. Leon turned him with a smile. "I'm aware and I'm also aware how they had to cancel it this year because not enough people signed up. The entry requirements were insane and not thought through and unfair. As well as some trainers selling each other out. It all fell through when I stopped signing up" Rose sat back "fair enough" he mumbled 

"My plan is to have a tournament like that. But the only requirement will be age. Skill doesn't have to be shown. The only goal is to win. Champions from other regions will be invited as well as trainers. I think this might be what Galar needs. A boost to tourism no less with those coming on holiday to watch these matches"   
"Ugh, you sound like a businessman now" Raihan rubbed his head.   
"I like this idea Leon" Rose spoke up, smiling. "When do you plan for this to take place?"  
"After our gym challenge, sir. I'll be sending out invites"  
"I look forward to this" 

Leon's face shined with delight. Rose's approval still meant a lot to him it seemed. She could have scoffed. She wouldn't let herself become like that at least. 

"If that's everything then I'll finish the meeting here. Thank you everyone and I'll see you at the opening ceremony" Rose smiled and got up, gathering his coat. Gloria avoided his eye contact. Leon came back to stand besides her as she stood up putting her coat on. " I'm going to the pub with some of the gym leaders. Want to come?" She looked up at him. "It's just Raihan isn't it" he blushed up a bit. "Well, the others were busy and Piers just swore at me"   
"I'll come then" anything to get away from Rose. 

The man smiled. "Great. It's not far from here. We can walk. Not like there's an option if you're coming" he ruffled her hair playfully. She lightly tapped it away. "You need the exercise" 

Raihan raised an eyebrow at the scene. "Why wouldn't she walk?"   
"Gloria has a fear of heights," Leon answered. She gave a nod in agreement. "I'd rather die than be in one of those cabs dangling in the air swaying-" the thought of it almost made her faint, swaying herself slightly before Leon put a hand in her shoulder to steady her.   
"It's selective though. My charizard is fine and her Hydreigon"   
"It's not that. Salem doesn't take me up further then a couple of feet. Enough that if I'd fall I'd just break a bone"   
"It startles me that that's a better outcome for you" Raihan commented with a laugh, leading the group away and out the tower, heading into town. 

"Well breaking my leg is easier to fix then breaking my spine or dying altogether" Gloria said, putting her hand in her pockets to keep warm.   
"So it is the heights you don't like or falling?" Raihan asked, opening the door for the two. The pub was busy, bustling with people. A barmaid waved them inside with a smile and pointed at a seat in the corner. "It's both really. But being stuck inside a cab that far in the air is just so scary to me. What if the Corviknigh drops it?"   
"That never happens Gloria," Leon said, taking a seat beside Raihan. "They don't want to drop you. And even the cases they have dropped the cab was because they didn't like the people inside and they dropped them somewhere safe" 

She mumbled, sitting down and taking off her coat. The bag rattled besides her furiously. "No no-!" But before she could stop it, a ball slid out and opened and she was being nuzzled by Cinderace. 

The men chuckled. "Aw, he couldn't wait." Leon commented, making the pokemon turn to him. Cinderace gave a happy sound at both the men and sat in her lap looking happy. "He really doesn't want to sit in his ball now" Gloria said, giving him a Berry to play with.   
"You don't always have to keep him in his ball," Raihan said. "The only reason I don't have Flygon out- or any of my pokemon out really is because they're too big"   
"I know. He's out usually. He'll just break out before I can let him out"   
"Sometimes they're just like that." Leon said, looking through the menu. "I normally have charizard out too. But it likes to pose for pictures for people who still recognise us" 

"About that guys" she took in a breath, stroking and bringing the pokemon close. "Do you guys think I'm a good champion?"  
"They're definitely very skilled. And annoying one to have such a varied team and that Blue Sylveon that can single handedly wipe out my team-" the dragon leader started. She chuckled "no no, though thank you. I ment as a champion. My reputation. I...don't get a lot of crowd attention" Raihans face fell emphatic.   
"Well you're definitely more of a shy champion" Leon admitted, dishing out the drinks as they came. "But I was too when I first started. Rose helped with it. It can be quite daunting. But you'll get used to it. If anything, I think the public likes this quite mysterious champion who is rarely seen and when she battles she makes the whole crowd scream"  
"Also a pose helps. Take Leon's" Raihan interrupted. The girl giggled again. "I already have that printed on my league card as a joke before I won against him now I can't change it"  
"Talking about your league card, that number-"  
"I didn't think they'd let me have it"   
"Champion Gloria 69" the grin on the dragon leader's face grew. "The league was so pissed when you made it so far with that number. Why didn't they make you change it?"  
"Because then everyone would know the league made me change it. You're meant to be able to choose your own number and I chose that" she laughed. 

She took a sip from her drink, sweetness flooding her taste buds. She wasn't sure what Berry it was made out of but she'd definitely have to take out from Leon what he had ordered for her. "Are you ready for the gym challenge?" Leon asked her, making her look at him. "I think. I'm nervous but to be honest I just have to watch for a couple of months. How's Hop doing? I didn't think he'd want to go again"   
"He's excited actually. I don't think he's fully given up being a trainer yet. Even with his research he'd bring back new pokemon from different parts of Galar and the Isles. I just think he likes pokemon" that sounded like Hop. When he first told her he was going to be a researcher it crushed her with guilt. She had taken his dream and once again she had his life on her back. 

"I'm not sure who to battle with for the opening ceremony" she admitted, desperately wanting to change the subject. "Raihan is always an option" the man in question gleamed proudly. "Though he was always my option. Marnie and Bede like you"   
"Bede likes no one"   
"Okay, Marnie then"   
"She's not a leader yet. I don't think she wants to be part of it yet either. I might be stuck with Raihan"   
"No one is stuck with me" he made a noise, sitting back on the chair. "I think Leon should do it"  
"Me? But I'm opening the ceremony"   
"Ex champion with new champion. Would bring a big crowd"   
"I guess. I could work around it. Gloria, what do you think?" The men turned to look at her. "I...I'd have to think about it. Fighting you would mean I'd have to change my team around"   
"Could always do a one on one. Charizard vs your Cinderace. Give both the crowd a taste for giantimax"   
"Fire type vs fire type?" Raihan said, raising an eyebrow.   
"It might work but we can't really swap out. Those are the pokemon we first partnered with and still use"   
"It's gotta be me or you, Lee" Raihan said, sitting up straight again with a stretch. "You guys heading back to Postwick tonight?"   
"I am. I think Gloria is too. We can get there by morning if we leave now" he turned to look at the women.   
"A night on the train doesn't sound fun. If you guys want to crash, my place is open. Though it's the sofa only" 

Leon turned to look at her, seemingly asking her to make a decision. "Well if you don't mind. Hammerlocke is closer anyway" she answered, gathering her bag. "30 minutes train ride it is' ' he chuckled, leading the way out again. 

She followed closely behind, trying to hide her face as much as possible from the cold wind. Small snowflakes were caught in the wind, getting heavier as they walked to the station. The three huddled together on a bench, waiting for the train. The men were off having a conversation of their own. Gloria held Cinderace close for worth. The pokemon had fallen asleep, producing natural heat that was keeping her warm enough until the train arrived. 

By the time they got to Hammerlocke the snow had come down harder, starting to settle. Raihan almost ran to his apartment, opening the door quickly for them. She stood inside smirking at the man. That's what you get for wearing shorts all year round.

The gym leader returned with a blanket and pillow for them both. "Sofas all yours. Help yourself to anything, make yourself at home. Too cold, going to go to bed" he said quickly, moving to his own bedroom as shut the door. 

Gloria looked up at Leon. The two shared a short laugh. "You can take the bigger side. You're taller and need that space" she said, hopping onto the smaller side of the L shaped sofa. "Don't worry, you'll grow one day" he yawned, almost collapsing onto the sofa. She chuckled and held the blanket close to herself. For once she felt safe without the need of her pokemon. And she fell asleep without even a thought about Rose or a flashback. A smile was on her face as she slept peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up getting the heights very wrong so I made a list of the team Gloria uses as well as nicknames.   
Onion- Venusaur 6,5ft (2.01m)  
Salem- Hydreigon 5,9ft (1.8m)  
Null- Silvally 7,07ft (2.3m)  
Blue-Blue Sylveon 3,2ft (99.1cm)  
Gardevoir 5,0ft (1.6m)  
Ace- Cinderace 4,7ft (1.4m)
> 
> Thank you for reading this chapter and I hope you enjoyed!


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first pokemon battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No tw then the usual heavy topic

Friday came quick. She'd visited home once just to get some new clothes and deliver tickets to her mother. The snow had piled up in postwick more than Wydon making travel by foot harder. Her pokemon tried their best to create a path for her through the snow, but it all came down to Silvally, arguably one of her tallest pokemon to create a path for them through the wild area to Motostoke. 

The city was busy with people. Markets had popped up selling food. People gathered waiting to be let in. As she came up the stairs, people cheered. It caught her off guard. She walked along the people, giving out autographs for those who asked and answering the questions she could. 

Pokemon trainers had gathered inside, wearing their uniforms. She smiled. It brought back memories for her. Putting on her uniform. Handing in her endorsement and declaring her number making the guy behind the counter almost choke with laughter. 

"It's like I'm looking back in the past" she said, meeting up with Hop, wearing his uniform. It was almost identical to the one he used when he first entered. Just his face changed, much older, small stubble on his chin, taller. Taller than her. 

He smirked at her as she approached "Champion" he nodded "looking forward to beating you this year" 

She laughed "we'll see" 

"That would mean you'd actually have to win a battle against me" a low voice said,filled with snark. Bede turned up his nose as he walked. Gloria quickly stepped in stopping Hop launching at him "save it for the field" 

"Challengers, wait here, gym leaders, let's go" Leon shouted over the noise of the crowd. She gave Hop a pat on his shoulder, joining Leon who smiled down at her. "Our fight will be after everyone is safely off pitch. You'll get a signal" 

"I'll be waiting for it"

The man had quite a style going wearing a red long-sleeved red coat cut off at his midriff with white flares. He took a breath and stood onto the pitch. Light shined on him and the crowd cheered. 

"Welcome one and all" Leon started, the microphone amplifying his voice over the crowd. "To a new season of the Galar Gym Challenge. I'm your former champion, Leon, here to host the event. For the next month, hundreds of our challengers will be battling it out with our gym leaders to earn badges. They must collect them all to qualify for the finals where if they win, they can try and knock out our new Champion of Galar, Gloria!" 

She was surprised to hear the crowd cheer at that, a feeling tugging at her heart. 

"But first, let's introduce our Galar leaders" on cue they started to move out, waving at the crowd 

"We have Milo, the grass type gym leader. Nassa, the water type gym leader, Kabu the fire type gym leader, this year Bea for the fighting type gym leader, our new gym leader Bede, the fairy type gym leader, Melony, the ice type gym leader, Piers the dark type gym leader and on of my favourite rivals, Raihan, the dragon type gym leader. But this wouldn't be a challenge without our challengers, give a warm welcome to this year's challengers of Galar" 

From the other side of the stadium, those in white uniform walked across, some waving up at the fans, some shy and nervous. There was a mix of ages amongst them, mainly populated by the young. She leaned on the side, watching the field. Hop was waving at her and she returned with a small one. The group were moved off quickly behind the safety windows as a mist filled the stadium, lights dimming until nothing could be seen. 

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for, a chance to catch the new Champion herself in action! Tonight she will be fighting me in a one off battle. Please, ladies and gentleman, give it up for Gloria Champion of Galar!" 

There wasn't really a cue she was expecting but as soon as the mist had raised she decided to surprise the crowd herself, walking on undetected even the lights couldn't find her at the entrance of the pitch. For a second Leon looked confused but soon enough one of the staff members found her and shone a light opposite him on the field. He gave a challenging grin as the crowd cheered, the mist fading. 

"To make this fair we're going to only be using one pokemon, and that pokemon will be randomly selected on the screen. First, Gloria's pokemon will be selected from her six" 

She watched the pictures of her pokemon until it fell on Gardevoir, making the crowd cheer once more. 

"Gardevoir, the newest member of her team and yet to receive a nickname and one of the pokemon that landed a KO on Raihans pokemon during a spare. Next, my pokemon will be selected" 

Leon's team flashed past, landing on a pokemon. The crowd screamed with excitement. 

"My first pokemon and my partner, Charizard had been selected. Gloria, let's battle" he turned to her, releasing his charizard onto the pitch. 

She smiled and released Garnevior. The pokemon gave a twirl, taunting the charizard from the other end of the pitch. Despite the elegance, her garnevior was notably one of her strongest pokemon in her team. Able to sync with her, he could pull off a move without her asking. He wasn't always like the gardevoir she was told about. He was loyal but he loves to battle.

She watched Leon carefully, an eye on the count down on the screen. As soon as it hit, she heard Leon speak first. 

"Charizard, use air slash!"

"Gardevoir dodge and keep up a defense!" 

The move came quickly, barely giving time for the pokemon to quickly glide out the way. 

"Keep at it with a fire blast!" Leon shouted again, the charizard taking flight. 

"Garnevior, keep dodging, tire him out" 

The pokemons dashed across the field, Gardevoir getting slightly scorched whilst dodging but he remained standing. The charizard landed once more. 

"Use psybeam" 

The move hit the charizard straight on, making it roar. The next move came as a surprise, its wings flapping quickly, hitting Garnevior and sending him off his feet. 

The Garnevior steadied himself quickly in front of Gloria, ready. 

"Use Ancient power" 

Rocks moved and quickly made their way over, knocking the Garnevior down again. 

"Quickly, before he can get back up, use Solar Beam!" 

"Gardevoir, dodge it!" For once she was a little panicked. She rarely let Leon hit combos but this one caught her by surprise. She watched her pokemon quickly try and dodge, missing and getting knocked down again. She sucked in her breath but he got back up, looking determined at her. She gave a nod. 

"Moonblast"

The pokemon lined up the shot quickly, aiming but before it could hit, the charizard returned to his ball and started to triple in size in Leon's hand. "Let's give them all what they came here to see. A tough fight and a Dynamax battle" 

She smirked, returning her own pokemon to his ball, her band swirling with the purple mist as she threw the now huge ball out into the open. It was going to be a close call. She wasn't sure if her own pokemon could survive a gmax move from Leon's charizard. Nevertheless, the Garnevior on the pitch was ready. 

The charizard opened his mouth and she shouted out quickly. "Max starfall, interrupt him" stars and mist fell down into the stadium, hitting the charizard straight on. Now a larger target, much harder to miss. He corrected himself quickly for a gmax wildfire from Leon, hitting her gardevoir straight but left him standing.

"Use the advantage,hit him with another Max Starfall!" 

"Gmax airstream, charizard, send it away!" 

Leon was playing the defence. Not something he usually chose to do with a charizard. She took note. 

The move was still able to graze the charizard but both titans remained standing. 

"End this with another fire blast!"

"Garnevior, max starfell for the last time, get him out!" 

The moves met almost together, filling the stadium with dust. For a moment there was just noise as they collided but Charizard gave a roar, both the pokemon started to decrease their size to normal. Charizard was on the ground by the time it was done, unmoving. The crowd cheered. 

Leon laughed, returning the fainted Charizard to his ball with some praise and turned back to the crowd. "Strong champion indeed. Give it up for Gloria and Garnevior!" 

The sound brought her back. The cheers, the praise. It was like she had won against him for the first time again. She stood and enjoyed it, waving up at the crowd. 

"That's all we have time for today, folks. First gym will be open by tomorrow, hope to see you there!" Leon waved off the crowd, lights fading to black. He sighed and turned to her, taking off his mic. "Holy shit, you've gotten strong"

She burst into a small bit of laughter, leading him off the pitch. "You put me in a really tight corner for a bit. I think the only thing that kept it going was Garneviors desire to win" 

"I'd wish I could say I was going easy on you but the crowd just brought everything back for me and I really wanted to win" 

"Same really. The next time I'll get to do that is for the newest challenger" 

Hop was waiting by the door for them. "Nice of you to see you didn't actually kill him on the pitch too" he laughed. 

"It wasn't that bad" 

"We both went for it that round, maybe a little too flashy for what I wanted for an opening ceremony but I don't think anyone would complain" Leon said. 

"Flashy? It was like you two were fighting it out for the title again" Hop lent on the side. 

"Alright, 5 minutes to get a drink and eat or whatever you want to do then they're going to let the press in for a Q&A" Leon ruffled Gloria's hair as he went past and she smiled, watching him go. "Do you think he'd be pissed if I run away and not talk to the press?" 

"Maybe. You could lie your way out of it. The press isn't that bad. You'll be fine" Hop answered, running a hand through his hair. 

"Just don't say anything controversial, be nice and be calm. So yourself really" 

Hop had always been good with the press, being the sibling of a champion. Anytime he spent with Leon ment someone would come and ask his brother for an autograph or for pictures and he'd always get invited in. He was just as important as the champion even in school when Leon first took the title other kids would stop just to talk to him. 

She took a seat at a small table set up, drinking some water and watching the crowd come in, waiting patiently. The first questions came in. 

"Champion, how do you feel about your latest battle?"

"I'm actually really pleased with my last battle. Going up against Leon is no easy task alone but to then have to fight his charizard- I think I done okay" 

"How come your Gardevoir is yet to receive a nickname like the rest of your pokemon?" 

"I nickname my pokemon from either something they've done, or how they look or shortening their name. I like to give it reason. He's a new addition to my team and I want to find something to suit him" 

"Why did you choose your number?" 

She paused for a second and leaned forward, speaking lowly. "I'm not allowed to talk about that" a few small chuckles were exchanged. 

"Will you be watching your rival and best friend's upcoming matches?"

"Of course. I hope to be going against him again" 

"Have you been training with him?"

"I wouldn't call it training. More of sparing" she answered, watching the time on the nearby clock. "Next question will be the last" a staff member announced, causing a bit of a rush as people pushed, putting microphones into her face. She couldn't hear most of the questions and listened to the closest to her. 

"Are you planning to be in any more upcoming battles?"

"Unfortunately no. My next battles have been arranged and it's mainly training" 

As promised, staff members started to control the crowd as she stood up, going to the changing rooms after posing for a quick photo. She sighed when she was alone, sitting down. It was more nerve wracking then she'd thought. She squeezed the last of the water bottle into her mouth as her phone rang. It was Rose.

She looked at it for a while, wondering if she could just ignore it. Chances are he'd probably been watching the battle and the Q&A from the start. He'd know she'd be alone by now. She picked up the phone "hello" 

"Congratulations on your win, Gloria! A marvellous display it was. I knew I could count on Leon to take over"

She didn't reply. 

"I want to take you both out to dinner tonight to celebrate" 

"I don't want to celebrate" 

"Oh come now Gloria. We've been through this enough to know you don't have a choice" the voice was cheery but there was a threat. She made a noise. 

"Keep that smile up for the cameras. Don't be late" he hung up. 

She didn't hesitate, getting up and getting dressed. 

Hop had been waiting for her and gave her a smile. "You okay? You were in there for a while" 

"I'm alright. Lost track of time" she smiled back. "What's your plan for tonight?" 

"Well I was going to go back to my hotel since Leon and you have got this dinner with Rose but Rose invited me"

A small sigh of relief left her lips but she realised instead that Hop being there was just an advantage for Rose. 

"I think he was just being polite, Hop. You don't have to come if you don't want to"

"Are you kidding me? I'm going to get a free posh meal for once" that was a fair reason. She couldn't blame him. 

"Well you're probably going to have to dress up then" she chuckled "I wasn't even told if this place was posh or not" 

"Eh. It's no three meals. But it's better than a takeaway that I was planning to have tonight" 

"I was looking forward to the pizza" 

"You can have a better pizza" he said as he led them out of the stadium. 

"You think Rose will take us to a pizzeria?" She giggled "I could really do with that pizza you got me last time with those berries on it" 

"I'll get you one tomorrow after I win the first gym." he said, hoisting the bag further up his arm. 

"Confident" she nodded. "What time is your challenge?" 

"9. First one of the day. Then I've got one at Hulbury at 11" 

"Wow, you're covering two in one day?"

"I mean, I feel a little bad. I've done this before compared to the other kids starting out. I've trained with both champions-" 

"Then you're going to be a good rival for them" she smiled "the gym challenge is a challenge of skill. Besides, I want whoever I go up against to be strong, not someone who got lucky and I have to beat into the ground" 

He laughed at that, putting his arm around her that made her lean back on him with a smile. "Fiiine. Can't let someone who doesn't know what they're doing go against you" 

"I'm going to see if I have something decent to wear. I'll meet you at the restaurant, alright?" She smiled up at him, tapping his shoulder as she parted to go to her hotel. He gave a wave as she left. 

\----

The restaurant was more on the posh side. She was glad she'd packed a neat black dress. It was her alternative wear if she ended up getting stuck unable to wash her usual champion clothes. Wear it with the right shoes and it could be anything ware. 

The brothers had dressed up nice themselves. More of a casual fancy with a blazer and top. They wouldn't look out of place. Leon waved her over, waiting outside. "Hey. You look pretty" 

"Thanks. I only packed one dress so I hope I don't have to do this again" 

"Rose is on his way. He got held up and is taking a taxi now" Leon said. 

"Okay" it slid off her lips a little too casually. The feeling of that she really didn't care coming off too much. Leon raised an amused eyebrow but didn't comment. 

"I didn't know posh places like this even existed in Motostoke" she quickly changed the subject, taking a seat making sure to keep her skirt together. 

"Don't be mean. It's a quick city, more for tourism but of course they still have their little places" Leon laughed, crossing his arms.

“She’s just saying it's common,” Hop said, leaning forward. “Not somewhere Rose would choose”

“I think we put him into an awkward situation really. He probably wanted somewhere in Wydon but we’re far away so he tried his best. Bless him” Leon laughed, turning his head as a flying taxi approached the restaurant. 

The Corviknight descended gently, dropping the taxi. The door opened and Rose came out, adjusting his tie. “Sorry, I’m late everyone” Leon stood up, shaking the chairman's hand as he joined them. “No worries. The table is waiting” Rose smiled at the other two. “Hop! Gloria! Good to see you again!” 

She nodded a little sheepishly as Hop shook his hand. “Thanks for inviting me again, sir. I promise I won’t get in the way of any business or anything”

“Oh don’t worry about it. It's past 5. I don’t talk about business past then. Leon’s brother is always welcome to come talk with his brother.” he laughed, leading the group inside. “Are you ready for tomorrow?” 

She hung back for a bit, taking in a breath. The chairman could really hide anything. 

Gloria stood up, catching up behind them as a waitress took them to one of the booths at the back. She made sure to sit next to Hop. 

"I'll order us some wine. I'm thinking grepa berry for us to celebrate" Rose smiled at them all, calling over a waiter. “And Leon, do tell me more about this tournament. Has anyone signed up yet?” 

Hop raised his head. “Tournament? What, the Galar Challenge?” 

"No. The tournament I discussed with you a while back. It's going ahead"

Hop smiled, excitement spreading across his face. "Brilliant. And the other region trainers?" 

"Some have already signed up. Though sorting out Kanto and Johto has been difficult" he sighed, sipping on his drink. 

"Is that due to the champion split?" Rose asked, leaning back a little. 

"Yeah. Lance was the champion of both but something happened and a new kid has it but this guy called Red is also somehow the champion because he won against this kid that was the champion. I don't understand what happened. Only Lance and Red are coming though"

"That sounds quite difficult but you sound like you have the hang of it" Rose chuckled "has Sinnoh been dealt with yet?" 

"Cynthia could have not signed up sooner. She was excited for this too"

"You're friends with Cynthia too?" Gloria said quietly, peeking up. The heads turned to look at her that almost made her squeak and sink back. 

"Yes, sort of. Most champions talk to each other to shi-...trash talk each other or to spare or to just have fun. Cynthia is actually very nice. She's wanted to approach you for a while but she's been afraid of scaring you off" Leon smiled. Her cheeks blushed a little. She didn't realise other champions might have thought about her like that. They wanted to meet her too. 

Soon their ordered food came, a pizza sitting in front of Gloria as she carved it into smaller pieces. Hop laughed next to her. "I can't believe you. You actually did get a pizza" 

"I said I wanted a pizza tonight. I'm getting a pizza one way or another" she smiled but became aware of the eyes on her from across the table. 

"You two really are the oddest pair of rivals aren't you" Rose laughed. "Not usually are rivals friends too" 

"Well we've known each other for a long time. Both through junior and secondary school and we're neighbours so" Hop answered.

"Hop's pretty close with Gloria's brother too. Even talking to him whilst he's in Un-" 

"Wait, he's talking to you?" Gloria interrupted Leon quickly turning to Hop. "He only calls me once every few weeks and that's because he called mum first and I happened to be in the room" 

"Yeah well, he's in a different country. And I commissioned him to find me a cool pokemon"

"Your brother sounds interesting Gloria. What is he doing in Unova?" Rose smiled looking at her. She cursed under her breath, hoping he wouldn't have picked up on the location. "Just some work" 

"Last I heard he was training to be a Ranger." Leon said. 

"He gave that up for research instead. Apparently something happened in Unova" she watched Rose's face carefully. A flash of realisation was shown across his face. "Understood. Will he join this new tournament?" 

"He hasn't responded yet" Leon answered "but I'm sure he will. He seemed quite busy" 

"I hope to meet him. The brother of the champion of Galar" 

She knew what he was doing. Trying to find every piece of information he could whilst making it look like harmless interest. She wasn't going to let it happen. 

"Leon, I meant to ask you " she changed the subject quickly, making Rose blink, losing concentration and almost scowling. "Will you be traveling with Hop tonight?" 

He thought "I suppose I am. I'll come watch my little brother. It's only a walk from home anyway" Hop made a face besides her, a little embarrassed. "Greeeat" 

Gloria pushed her plate to the side, sipping her drink as Rose called for the bill. He led them outside where a taxi descended onto the pavement. He opened the door. "I'm heading back to Wydon but I can give you kids a lift to Turrfield" he yelled down. Hop and Leon jumped up. "That would be great actually, sir" Hop said, getting into the cab. Her heart strings tugged a little, anxious about him going alone but eased as Leon stepped up too. 

"Gloria?" Rose looked at her. It sounded like a question but his tone seemed like he wasn't giving her a choice. A lump formed in her throat. 

"Thank you but I'm staying with Raihan tonight" 

"Wait, you're what?" Hop asked, leaning out the door. "When did this happen?"

The look of surprise on Rose's face was priceless and she grinned a little at him. His face returned to his usual smile and waved her off "then I could give you a lift on the way up" 

"No thank you, I think I'd rather walk through the wild area. Even ride Silvally" she was treading on thin ice but as long as the two were there, he wouldn't do anything. She'd just have to avoid him after. Always stay with someone else. He huffed. "Save travels then, Champion. I'll see you tomorrow" he turned and got into the cab, giving her one last look. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first pokemon battle I've ever written and I'm quite happy with it TwT I actually also run a random selector on both Gloria's team and Leon's. 
> 
> Thank you for the support and hope you enjoy!


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